Does the daily catch limit and possession limit apply to fishing on my private pond?

If you have an approved fish-stocking permit and pond evaluation from WDFW, in most cases state fishing licenses and regulatory requirements are exempted. The approval process includes pond site parameters and source of fish. This ensures that diseases will not be spread to wild fish populations, and that screening devices will prevent stocked fish from escaping into wild fish populations.

A fish stocking permit from WDFW is required to plant fish into ponds or lakes on private land in Washington State. It is illegal to move fish to a pond or stream on your land, or between any other bodies of water, without a WDFW permit.

However, all rules in the current Sportfishing Rules pamphlet apply to un-stocked ponds or lakes on your private property, whether the ponds or lakes were constructed or naturally created. If the pond or lake drains unimpeded into the Puget Sound or Strait of Juan de Fuca zone, it is closed to fishing unless specifically listed under the freshwater special rules as being open.

I sometimes fish pay to fish lakes in Oregon and a License is required. I called Oregon fish and Game and they confirmed that a license is required except for the family that owns the land.

Greg

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Wow! That's new to me. I've been fishing private lakes for years and no one has ever showed up to see if we had a fishing license. I do, but I don't believe the owner knows that a fishing license is required. Of course the Man may need a warranty to search the guy's property... hmmmm.... time for some checking.

I stand corrected. Evidently you do need to buy an Oregon Fishing License to fish a private lake... which is insane. The ODF&W has absolutely nothing to do with a private lake that is stocked by the land owner. What a racket! and B.S.

Wow! That's new to me. I've been fishing private lakes for years and no one has ever showed up to see if we had a fishing license. I do, but I don't believe the owner knows that a fishing license is required. Of course the Man may need a warranty to search the guy's property... hmmmm.... time for some checking.

I stand corrected. Evidently you do need to buy an Oregon Fishing License to fish a private lake... which is insane. The ODF&W has absolutely nothing to do with a private lake that is stocked by the land owner. What a racket! and B.S.

I have a license. It just seems stupid for someone to buy a ODF&W license to fish a private lake that is stocked and maintained by a private individual.

The lake has no access to any waters stocked by the ODF&W ... they have 100% nothing to do with the fish or the fishing of the lake.

I'd like to hear their justification for requiring a fishing license to fish a private lake ... of course, this is something the State Legislation came up with and not the fish and game so I should ask them.

Everyone who drives is suppossed to have Automobile Insurance too but 15% of drivers do not.

Naturally if you contact the game department, they are going to tell you that you must have a fishing license to fish.

Practically speaking, if anyone of you fine folks from Washington want to come down and fish the private waters of the Oregon Fishing Club with me, you can do so without purchasing an Oregon License and I will guarantee your legal safety.

Gene, I'm saying as a practical matter the license requirement does not matter since (1) said private lakes are located behind locked gates and (2) the ODFW has not demonstrated that they care if folks fish these private lakes with or without a license.

In summary, strictly speaking it's been demonstrated on this thread one is suppossed to have a fishing license to fish private lakes. Practically speaking, you really don't. Taking this debate further is akin to debating the speed limit on the Moon